Weaning

[Deenie]

I'm reading on several of your sites here that the babies are sold at 10-12 weeks old. I got Guinness when he was 7 or 8 weeks old. Isn't that young? He was pretty much weaned but I think he may have been the 'runt', he totally chows down and freaks when I feed him and I remember the first week I had him, he would nibble like trying to root. He's 12 weeks old now and now I'm just wondering if there are any issues or concerns I should have.

Thanks for reading and for all the answers and the patience in all my questions

[hha]

I got my first one at almost 7 weeks, and have never had any problems with her, infact, she never has bitten at me like the one I got at 11 weeks has..Just make sure she's eating and drinking, etc. Good luck and would love to see pictures

[fannie]

I firmly believe in letting the dam lead the weaning process. Most of my puppies are still nursing at 10 weeks. They learn so much from their mom in those last weeks that they are with her. I've never understood why babies are automatically pulled from their mom at 6 weeks or whatever. They are getting the best nourishment possible from her. Resulting in a much healthier puppy.

[YorkieMom55]

Well said.

[Meggie]

I don't actually breed my Yorkies, but I've bred & shown two other breeds for 30 years. Weaning usually starts around 3 weeks & most puppies are fully weaned & off the dam by 6 weeks.
My bitches are usually pretty fed up with them by 5 weeks & are glad to get some peace. The pups usually go to their new homes between 8 to 10 weeks.
Lots of breeder let them go at 7 weeks, so yours isn't unusual. The last two I bought came at 7 & 8 weeks.
Young puppies actually do most of their socialising between 6 & 12 weeks, so it's good to get them used to you early, through their innoculations & having as many new experiences as possible.
There's research that says at 12 weeks they enter a shyer more timid period for a few weeks, so it can be harder for them to change homes then.

As long as you feed him a good puppy diet he should be fine. The nuzzling is just puppy behaviour.

[YorkieMom55]

Originally Posted by Deenie

I'm reading on several of your sites here that the babies are sold at 10-12 weeks old. I got Guinness when he was 7 or 8 weeks old. Isn't that young? He was pretty much weaned but I think he may have been the 'runt', he totally chows down and freaks when I feed him and I remember the first week I had him, he would nibble like trying to root. He's 12 weeks old now and now I'm just wondering if there are any issues or concerns I should have.

Thanks for reading and for all the answers and the patience in all my questions

I love his name.
7-8 weeks is young. Any puppy that I have ever gotten it has been around that age (one was 5 wks!). It's just that up to 12 weeks they are still babies. They need alot of attention & care. They should not be crated & left alone all day.
It sounds like you are very aware of him and his needs, that's excellent. How often are you feeding him? If he's gobbling his food maybe he needs more frequent, smaller feedings. At 5 weeks our 2 are getting fed 4x a day plus whatever they can get from Sunnie. At 10-12 I'll take them down to 3x plus a couple of snacks.
Hope this helps.

[Deenie]

He does do a lot of biting and he'll lunge at my face, too. I am really trying to learn how to play with him and NOT accept that behavior. I do tug of war quite a bit. He's eating and drinking just fine. This couple whom I got him just started breeding. He was the last of the litter from their first litter. The lady's mom is a breeder and I guess they are learning. I may give them that advice.
I emailed to ask about his status in the litter, like if he was the smallest, etc. but they haven't replied. I have their number, I'll just bug them that way LOL they were awful nice, though. I didn't have any weird feelings when I met them or anything.

I'm learning so much here, thank you!

[kosoma]

Originally Posted by Meggie

Weaning usually starts around 3 weeks & most puppies are fully weaned & off the dam by 6 weeks.
My bitches are usually pretty fed up with them by 5 weeks & are glad to get some peace.

I don't breed Yorkies, but my parents do....and from what I have seen I agree with this. Of course, the smaller guys do take a bit longer to wean, but an average healthy pup will start eating ground up dry food at least by 4 weeks. We start with it totally ground up, and then gradually mix with pieces of solid. From there it is just a matter of a couple of weeks before they are eating the solid dry food (very small pieces). Of course, I'm only talking about them eating by this age....there are other factors in deciding whether they are ready to leave the dam.

[larsensyorkies]

just because a puppy is weaned from its mother doesn't mean its time for them to go to a new home. in my experience puppies that leave their mom too early are more likely to have separation anxiety and a harder time socializing. this is not true all the time, but more often than not and especially with smaller breeds like yorkies. staying with mom until 12 weeks helps them get their pack skills and learn all sorts of stuff from mom. also hypoglycemia is a concern for little puppies that usually is ok around 10-12 weeks depending on weight. i also think puppies should be free fed while they are young. I still free freed my adults but its especially important for puppies because they run around so much and use their energy up so fast. good breeders will also socialize the puppy with other animals and people to make the transition to a new home easier.

[hha]

Originally Posted by Meggie

I don't actually breed my Yorkies, but I've bred & shown two other breeds for 30 years. Weaning usually starts around 3 weeks & most puppies are fully weaned & off the dam by 6 weeks.
My bitches are usually pretty fed up with them by 5 weeks & are glad to get some peace. The pups usually go to their new homes between 8 to 10 weeks.
Lots of breeder let them go at 7 weeks, so yours isn't unusual. The last two I bought came at 7 & 8 weeks.
Young puppies actually do most of their socialising between 6 & 12 weeks, so it's good to get them used to you early, through their innoculations & having as many new experiences as possible.
There's research that says at 12 weeks they enter a shyer more timid period for a few weeks, so it can be harder for them to change homes then.
As long as you feed him a good puppy diet he should be fine. The nuzzling is just puppy behaviour.

I feel the same way...plus, I like getting mine at an earlier age to get them used to their new surroundings and me..I have other inside dogs, so, the pups tend to learn what I want them to learn from the other ones I have..

[kwaymon]

MY sister got her yorkie at 6 weeks old. She does a lot of lunging and biting too. The vet told her that her dog was on the aggressive side. But, I don't know if that has anything to do with the age she brought her home or if its just personality. Did you meet the puppy's parents? What were their personalities like? I personally don't know if age has anything to do with it. There are alot of people on here that have conflicting opinions. My breeder let my puppy wean himself. I took him home at 11 weeks and he has been a great little dog. You could always consider hiring a trainer if you continue to have problems

[hha]

Originally Posted by larsensyorkies

just because a puppy is weaned from its mother doesn't mean its time for them to go to a new home. in my experience puppies that leave their mom too early are more likely to have separation anxiety and a harder time socializing. this is not true all the time, but more often than not and especially with smaller breeds like yorkies. staying with mom until 12 weeks helps them get their pack skills and learn all sorts of stuff from mom. also hypoglycemia is a concern for little puppies that usually is ok around 10-12 weeks depending on weight. i also think puppies should be free fed while they are young. I still free freed my adults but its especially important for puppies because they run around so much and use their energy up so fast. good breeders will also socialize the puppy with other animals and people to make the transition to a new home easier.

I always free feed mine, well, up until around 5:00, when I pull the food up..I have had 2 yorkies that I got, one at almost 7 weeks, and one at 7 weeks, and the last one at 11 weeks, actually I had less problems with the younger ones, never was bitten by them, never had any problems with hypoglycemia(did once with a maltese, but, I think it was actually younger than the breeder told me, as she didn't even have her teeth in)..The one I got at 11 weeks, is a sweetheart, but, I have had problems with her, that I never had with the ones I got earlier...

[Yorkiekids]

I got my Penny when she was eight weeks old, and never had any problems with her, but if the breeder will keep her a few more weeks it would be better on the pup.

[larsensyorkies]

Professional breeders have been studying this for years. It’s a disadvantage to them to keep the puppies longer because they have to pay for more shots, food, spend more time watching them and cleaning up after them. It’s done for the best interest of the puppy.

Lots of breeders do let them go earlier and that’s not bad, I just think it’s better and more responsible to wait a little longer. Puppies will bond to you whether you get them at 6 weeks or 16+ weeks it’s just been proven best for Yorkies to go around 12 weeks.

[s13silviagirl]

Originally Posted by Deenie

He does do a lot of biting and he'll lunge at my face, too. I am really trying to learn how to play with him and NOT accept that behavior. I do tug of war quite a bit. He's eating and drinking just fine. This couple whom I got him just started breeding. He was the last of the litter from their first litter. The lady's mom is a breeder and I guess they are learning. I may give them that advice.
I emailed to ask about his status in the litter, like if he was the smallest, etc. but they haven't replied. I have their number, I'll just bug them that way LOL they were awful nice, though. I didn't have any weird feelings when I met them or anything.

I'm learning so much here, thank you!

If he is having aggressive behavior with you, tug of war might not be the best game to play as it encourages him to go against you. Maybe try something like fetch? or other non challenging games?